Bag and attached label



April 26, 1932. E. w. CERF 1,855,473

BAG AND ATTACHED LABEL Filed Dec. 22. 1930 Patented Apr. 26, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EBVm' W. CERF, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO CERF BROS. BAG COMPANY, 01 ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A (IO-PARTNERSHIP OOMPOSED 01 SAM P. CERF AND ERVIN BAG AND ATTACHED LABEL Application filed December 22, 1930. Serial No. 508,995.

This invention relates to bags and attached labels; and has special reference to bags that are initially constructed with three sides closed and with one end open'in order to I permit the bag to receive the merchand se through the open end, and means for ut1l1zing in a novel manner the row of st1tches, by which the open end of the bag is finally closed after the bag is filled with the mer-' l chandise, to attach to the bag a label or tag containing any desired printed matter, so that this label or tag .is detached and separated from the bag automatically and as an incident to the removal of the stitches hold- 16 ing the bag closed.

Heretofore, it has been a general practice to print directly on textile bags considerable data describing or identifying the contents of the bags orthe manufacturer or distribu- 20 tor. The substances used to print the data on the bags in this manner are usually indelible, so that the printed matter cannot be erased, and fast so that the printed matter will not easily wash out. For these reasons,

the bags after once being used cannot be again used by dealers or manufacturers for the distribution of different merchandise, and can be satisfactorily reused only for the same class and quality of merchandise that the bags originally contained in their first use. Accordingly, the resale or second-hand value of such bags for reuse for distribution of merchandise by dealers and manufacturers is very small. These facts have resulted in considerable loss or depreciation in the value of the bags and it is clear enough that it is highly desirable to uphold and sustain theresale or second-hand value of the bags nearer to the initial cost of the bags.

49 However, it is desirable in some and necessary in nearly all instances to identify the merchandise contained in the bags by printed data in reference thereto and also to indicate the origin of the merchandise by appropriate trade-marks and/or the names of the manugacturers' and/ or distributors of the merchanise.

An object of the present invention is to provide means for obtaining the results above indicated, so that the resale or second-hand value of used bags is maintained and sustamed closer to the initial cost of the bags and to accomplish this object without abandonlng or minimizing any of the desirable features or results included in the present practice of describing and identifying the merchandise and displaying trade-marks and the names of manufacturers and dealers in connection with the bags.

Another object of this invention is to provide means for closing the open end of a bag at full width thereof and utilizing said means to attach to the bag a label or tag containing printed matter in substitution for the printed matter usually displayed on the bags and which, according to the present invention, is omitted from direct impression on the bags.

Other objects will appear from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a bag displayinglilzhe present invention in connection therewit Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the tag and its attaching means, which also functions to hold closed one end of the bag.

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross sectional view approximately on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fi 4 is a perspective view of an appropriate orm of tag, the construction of which may be varied without departure from the invention.

The bag shown is composed of a section of textile material folded longitudinally intermediate of its edges along a line 1 to provide the walls 2 of the bag. The marginal edges 3 of the walls 2 along one end and along the side opposite from the fold line 1 are extended inwardly and sewed, so that the raw edges of the bag extend inwardly and the row of stitches is concealed when the bag is completed and conditioned for use. Thus, this bag is closed at one end and along both sides and the opposite end is left open when originally constructed, in order to permit the bag to be filled with the merchandise which the bag is to contain.

Heretofore, it has been the usual practice to imprint upon these bags any advertising matter and trade-marks referring to the merchandise contained in the bags and also to imprint on the bags the names of the manufacturers and distributors of the merchandise and the substances used to make these imprints have usually been indelible, so that they cannot be erased, and fast so that they cannot be washed out by ordinary laundering processes. As a consequence, the resale and second-hand value of these bags has been greatly reduced, because the bags must be returned to the same manufacturers and again be distributed to the same distributors and dealers in order for the matter that has been imprinted on the bags to apply. It has been impossible or highly inconvenient in most instances to meet these conditions, so that the resale and second-hand value of these bags remained extremely low. My present invention eliminates these disadvantages.

My invention comprises a tag or label 4 of paper or cardboard, or other appropriate material, designed and adapted to be laid against one of the sides 2 of the bag with the upper edge of said tag or label fiat against the flat side of the bag and attached thereto by a fastening device comprising a. row of stitches 5 by which the two side walls 2 of the bag are secured together to close the bag after the bag has been filled with merchandise 6. An important feature of the invention is that relationship of parts shown whereby the marginal portions of the walls 2 immediately to the rear of the tag or label 4 are flat and are free from gathers and folds, and that the tag or label is also flat and free from gathers and folds, and that the row of stitches 5 extends across the outer side of the tag or label and through said tag or label and through both walls 2 of the bag. Preferably also the marginal portions of the walls 2 of the bag beyond the side edges of the tag or label 4 are flat and ungathered, so that the upper end of the bag, which is closed only after the bag is filled with merchandise, is of nearly the full width of any other portion of the bag. This tag or label 4 has imprinted on its outer surface notations 7 and 8 indicating the contents of the bag and has on its outer side spaces 9 and 10 in any desired relationship to the notations 7 and 8 designed and arranged to receive imprints of trade-marks or trade-names or other data and the names of the manufacturers and distributors, if desired.

This tag or label 4 may be folded transversely along a, line 11 to provide an additional tag or label 12 extending down into the bag and having imprinted thereon any desired printed matter 13. When this additional tag 12 is used, the tag device is folded transversely along the line 11 so as to enclose the upper edge of one of the walls 2 of the bag between the outer tag 4 and the inner tag 12 after which the fastening stitches 5 are applied. In the use of the additional tag 12, the stitches pass through the four p'lies of material comprising the two walls 2 and the two tags 4 and 12.

The tag preferably contains imprinted instructions 14 directing the proper method of detachament of the tag or label from the bag and including a designating device 15 pointing to one end of the line of stitches 5. The stitches 5 are preferably of the loop stitch type, which will separate when one of the ends of one of the strings is pulled. Thus, the stitches may be removed and detached from the bag and from the labels, thereby opening the end of the bag and detaching the label from the bag and leaving the bag without any printed matter thereon. The inner label 12, being within the bag, is kept in a clean and sanitary condition and may be detached from the outer tag or label 4 along the line 11 and kept in the bag so long as the bag contains any of its original contents or not, as desired.

It is impossible to reuse a tag that has once been used and detached from the bag in connection with which it had been used. This is so because the punctures in the tag through which the stitches had passed will inevitably be visible if the tag be attached to another bag for subsequent use, for the reason that it is practically impossible in reattaching the tag to a bag to pass the stitches through identically the same holes through which the original stitches 5 had been passed. Accordingly, the holes formed in the tag by the application of the original stitches 5 constitute indicia permanently indicating the fact that the tag had once been used and should not be again attached to a bag for additional use.

The intended uses and many advantages of the invention are now apparent as is the fact that the invention obtains all of its intended objects and purposes in an efiicient and satisfactory way.

I claim:

1. A container having an opening, the opposed walls of said opening being closed by fastening means, a label bearing corresponding indicia on its two ends identifying the contents of the container. one end of said label being positioned within the container, the other end being positioned without the container, said label being secured in position by said fastening means.

2. A bag having a discharge opening, op-

posed walls of said opening being closed by stitches extending therethrough, a tag having a portion between the walls of said opening and bearing corresponding indicia on its two ends identifying the contents of the bag, one end of said tag being positioned within said bag, the other end of said tag bein positioned without said bag and being olded over to lie adjacent a side of the bag, said tag being secured in position by said stitches extending through the said tag without the bag and through the portion thereof between the walls of said opening.

ERVIN W. CERF. 

